SirSnuggles

Based on where I'm going. For example, Munar I for a mission to the Mun. If I make another, better version of the rocket, it becomes Munar II. This can be anywhere from a significant tweak to a total rebuild - whatever warrants the idea that it is a new ship.

It's easy to get long saves when you do long missions & just speed up time for the transfer window/transfer time. I.E. if you fast forward half a year for a Jool transfer, then time warp through the transfer & back, you've got a couple years into the game in an hour. A better question is how many missions/where have you gone in the amount of time you've used up.

I agree probes are absolutely useless for science missions. They are good for building spacecraft in orbit or preparing a base somewhere, but other than that, useless. Why on earth would you waste that science transmitting when you can easily return it? & if you are going to return it, make it manned & get even more science. They need to differentiate between the two or something. Maybe add something a probe can do & a manned mission cannot. Idk, but something to make probes special from manned missions so they aren't just completely overshadowed by the manned ones. Maybe get probes first & THEN capsules significantly later.

This is not the Sims 4. It's not important to the game to add such a frivolous, time-consuming, & large project. It would be plenty to have them represented via reports to the KSC (i.e. newspaper headlines, gained publicity, more funding, etc.).

I for one, much prefer an organized and polished game over fancy new stuff added every week. I am hoping they add biomes to every planet and give a reason to go back to Duna or Eve, etc. once you have all the science (for most planets only surface, near, and high above). I also am looking forward to reentry effects that can damage your ship and better aerodynamics. Everyone wants something different. I think you wrote this in a fit of emotion.

I use TAC so they are very useful when you don't want to worry about sending more life support to a long-standing base.

I assume not because there is are these barren planets all around them & it is so far from the sun.

What's the difference? Also, AFAIK, all the planets rotate clockwise, no? Why do you always see people saying they are entering the SOI the wrong direction & flip it so that it is rotating w/ the planet?

You can always test things in Sandbox mode, or revert flight, or good ole' fashioned math! I planned an entire mission to Duna using math & I used every last drop of fuel in my stages in the most efficient rocket I could muster... Quite satisfying (& terrifying at the time [didn't know if I would have enough fuel]).

Recently, I've been taking KSP more seriously, making efficient rockets & mathematical equations, etc. I'm wondering if there is a way I can more efficiently intercept an orbiting vessel other than just guessing the launch window. I would imagine it's the same concept as phase angles for planets, but I don't know how it would work if, for example, I want a Duna lander to intercept the return stage.